Carbon Monoxide Ligands Research Articles

Releasing Cyanide from Ferrocyanide through Carbon Monoxide Ligand Exchange in Alkaline Aqueous Environments

Releasing Cyanide from Ferrocyanide through Carbon Monoxide Ligand Exchange in Alkaline Aqueous Environments

Highly Activated Terminal Carbon Monoxide Ligand in an Iron-Sulfur Cluster Model of FeMco with Intermediate Local Spin State at Fe.

Nitrogenases, the enzymes that convert N2 to NH3, also catalyze the reductive coupling of CO to yield hydrocarbons. CO-coordinated species of nitrogenase clusters have been isolated and used to infer mechanistic information. However, synthetic FeS clusters displaying CO ligands remain rare, which limits benchmarking. Starting from a synthetic cluster that models a cubane portion of the FeMo cofactor (FeMoco), including a bridging carbyne ligand, we report a heterometallic tungsten-iron-sulfur cluster with a single terminal CO coordination in two oxidation states with a high level of CO activation (νCO = 1851 and 1751 cm-1). The local Fe coordination environment (2S, 1C, 1CO) is identical to that in the protein making this system a suitable benchmark. Computational studies find an unusual intermediate spin electronic configuration at the Fe sites promoted by the presence the carbyne ligand. This electronic feature is partly responsible for the high degree of CO activation in the reduced cluster.

Cyanide Binding to [FeFe]-Hydrogenase Stabilizes the Alternative Configuration of the Proton Transfer Pathway.

Hydrogenases are H2 converting enzymes that harbor catalytic cofactors in which iron (Fe) ions are coordinated by biologically unusual carbon monoxide (CO) and cyanide (CN- ) ligands. Extrinsic CO and CN- , however, inhibit hydrogenases. The mechanism by which CN- binds to [FeFe]-hydrogenases is not known. Here, we obtained crystal structures of the CN- -treated [FeFe]-hydrogenase CpI from Clostridium pasteurianum. The high resolution of 1.39 Å allowed us to distinguish intrinsic CN- and CO ligands and to show that extrinsic CN- binds to the open coordination site of the cofactor where CO is known to bind. In contrast to other inhibitors, CN- treated crystals show conformational changes of conserved residues within the proton transfer pathway which could allow a direct proton transfer between E279 and S319. This configuration has been proposed to be vital for efficient proton transfer, but has never been observed structurally.

Iron Dihydride Complex Stabilized by an All-Phosphorus-Based Pincer Ligand and Carbon Monoxide.

PNP-pincer-stabilized iron carbonyl dihydride complexes are key intermediates in catalytic hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions; however, decomposition through these intermediates has been observed. This inspires the development of a PPP-pincer system that may show improved catalyst stability. In this work, bis[2-(diisopropylphosphino)phenyl]phosphine (or iPrPPHP) is used to react with FeCl2 under a carbon monoxide (CO) atmosphere to yield trans-(iPrPPHP)Fe(CO)Cl2. A subsequent reaction with NaBH4 produces syn/anti-(iPrPPHP)FeH(CO)Cl or cis,anti-(iPrPPHP)Fe(CO)H2, depending on the amount of NaBH4 employed. The cis-dihydride complex shows catalytic activity for the conversion of PhCHO to PhCH2OH (under H2) or PhCO2CH2Ph (under Ar). It also catalyzes the dehydrogenation of PhCH2OH to PhCHO and PhCO2CH2Ph, albeit with limited turnover numbers. A more efficient catalytic process is the dehydrogenation of formic acid to carbon dioxide (CO2), which can operate under additive-free conditions. Mechanistic investigation suggests that the cis-dihydride complex undergoes protonation with formic acid to release H2 while forming anti-(iPrPPHP)FeH(CO)(OCHO)·HCO2H, in which the CO ligand has shifted and the formate is hydrogen-bonded to formic acid. The hydrido formate complex loses CO2 under ambient conditions, completing the catalytic cycle by reforming the cis-dihydride complex.

Trapping an Oxidized and Protonated Intermediate of the [FeFe]-Hydrogenase Cofactor under Mildly Reducing Conditions

The H-cluster is the catalytic cofactor of [FeFe]-hydrogenase, a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the formation of dihydrogen (H2). The catalytic diiron site of the H-cluster carries two cyanide and three carbon monoxide ligands, making it an excellent target for IR spectroscopy. In previous work, we identified an oxidized and protonated H-cluster species, whose IR signature differs from that of the oxidized resting state (Hox) by a small but distinct shift to higher frequencies. This "blue shift" was explained by a protonation at the [4Fe-4S] subcomplex of the H-cluster. The novel species, denoted HoxH, was preferentially accumulated at low pH and in the presence of the exogenous reductant sodium dithionite (NaDT). When HoxH was reacted with H2, the hydride state (Hhyd) was formed, a key intermediate of [FeFe]-hydrogenase turnover. A recent publication revisited our protocol for the accumulation of HoxH in wild-type [FeFe]-hydrogenase, concluding that inhibition by NaDT decay products rather than cofactor protonation causes the spectroscopic "blue shift". Here, we demonstrate that HoxH formation does not require the presence of NaDT (or its decay products), but accumulates also with the milder reductants tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, dithiothreitol, or ascorbic acid, in particular at low pH. Our data consistently suggest that HoxH is accumulated when deprotonation of the H-cluster is impaired, thereby preventing the regain of the oxidized resting state Hox in the catalytic cycle.

Switching on Cytotoxicity of Water-Soluble Diiron Organometallics by UV Irradiation.

The diiron compounds [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO)(μ-CSEt)]CF3SO3, [1]CF3SO3, K[Fe2Cp2(CO)3(CNCH2CO2)], K[2], [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO)(μ-CNMe2)]NO3, [3]NO3, [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(PTA){μ-CNMe(Xyl)}]CF3SO3, [4]CF3SO3, and [Fe2Cp2(CO)(μ-CO){μ-η:1η3-C(4-C6H4CO2H)CHCNMe2}]CF3SO3, [5]CF3SO3, containing a bridging carbyne, isocyanoacetate, or vinyliminium ligand, were investigated for their photoinduced cytotoxicity. Specifically, the novel water-soluble compounds K[2], [3]NO3, and [4]CF3SO3 were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. Stereochemical aspects concerning [4]CF3SO3 were elucidated by 1H NOESY NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Cell proliferation studies on human skin cancer (A431) and nontumoral embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells, with and without a 10-min exposure to low-power UV light (350 nm), highlighted the performance of the aminocarbyne [3]NO3, nicknamed NIRAC (Nitrate-Iron-Aminocarbyne), which is substantially nontoxic in the dark but shows a marked photoinduced cytotoxicity. Spectroscopic (IR, UV-vis, NMR) measurements and the myoglobin assay indicated that the release of one carbon monoxide ligand represents the first step of the photoactivation process of NIRAC, followed by an extensive disassembly of the organometallic scaffold.

Ruthenium hydrides encapsulated in sol-gel glasses exhibit new ultrafast vibrational dynamics.

Vibrational dynamics were measured by IR pump-probe spectroscopy and two-dimensional IR spectroscopy for triruthenium dodecacarbonyl and the undecacarbonyl hydride that forms when it is encapsulated in an alumina sol-gel glass. For comparison, a triruthenium undecacarbonyl hydride salt was also synthesized and studied in neat solution to identify the potential influence of the confined solvent environment on the dynamics experienced by carbon monoxide ligands. The vibrational lifetime was found to be significantly decreased for both hydride species relative to the dodecacarbonyl compound. Conversely, spectral diffusion of the CO vibrations was measured to be faster for the parent compound. The most significant dynamic changes occurred upon transformation from the starting compound to the hydride, while only minor differences were observed between the dynamics of the freely dissolved and sol-gel encapsulated hydrides. The results suggest that the structural change to the hydride has the largest impact on the dynamics and that its improved catalytic properties likely do not originate from confined solvent effects.

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of CO inhibition of [NiFe]-hydrogenase from Citrobacter sp. S-77.

Hydrogenases catalyze the reversible oxidation of H2. Carbon monoxide (CO) isknown to be a competitive inhibitor of O2-sensitive [NiFe]-hydrogenases. Although the activities of some O2-tolerant [NiFe]-hydrogenases are unaffected by CO, the partially O2-tolerant [NiFe]-hydrogenase from Citrobacter sp. S-77 (S77-HYB) is inhibited by CO. In this work, the CO-bound state of S77-HYB was characterized by activity assays, spectroscopic techniques and X-ray crystallography. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy showed a diamagnetic Ni2+ state, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the stretching vibration of the exogenous CO ligand. The crystal structure determined at 1.77 Å resolution revealed that CO binds weakly to the nickel ion in the Ni-Fe active site of S77-HYB. These results suggest a positive correlation between O2 and CO tolerance in [NiFe]-hydrogenases.

A Density Matrix Renormalization Group Study of the Low-Lying Excited States of a Molybdenum Carbonyl-Nitrosyl Complex.

A density matrix renormalization group‐self consistent field (DMRG‐SCF) study has been carried out to calculate the low‐lying excited states of CpMo(CO)2NO, a molybdenum complex containing NO and CO ligands. In order to automatically select an appropriate active space, a novel procedure employing the maximum single‐orbital entropy for several states has been introduced and shown to be efficient and easy‐to‐implement when several electronic states are simultaneously considered. The analysis of the resulting natural transition orbitals and charge‐transfer numbers shows that the lowest five excited electronic states are excitation into metal‐NO antibonding orbitals, which offer the possibility for nitric oxide (NO) photorelease after excitation with visible light. Higher excited states are metal‐centered excitations with contributions of metal‐CO antibonding orbitals, which may serve as a gateway for carbon monoxide (CO) delivery. Time‐dependent density functional theory calculations done for comparison, show that the state characters agree remarkably well with those from DMRG‐SCF, while excitation energies are 0.4–1.0 eV red‐shifted with respect to the DMRG‐SCF ones.

Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Transformations of Metal-Organic-Framework-Supported, Site-Isolated Trigonal-Planar Cu(I) Complexes with Labile Ligands.

Transition-metal complexes bearing labile ligands can be difficult to isolate and study in solution because of unwanted dinucleation or ligand substitution reactions. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a unique matrix that allows site isolation and stabilization of well-defined transition-metal complexes that may be of importance as moieties for gas adsorption or catalysis. Herein we report the development of an in situ anion metathesis strategy that facilitates the postsynthetic modification of Cu(I) complexes appended to a porous, crystalline MOF. By exchange of coordinated chloride for weakly coordinating anions in the presence of carbon monoxide (CO) or ethylene, a series of labile MOF-appended Cu(I) complexes featuring CO or ethylene ligands are prepared and structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography. These complexes have an uncommon trigonal planar geometry because of the absence of coordinating solvents. The porous host framework allows small and moderately sized molecules to access the isolated Cu(I) sites and displace the "place-holder" CO ligand, mirroring the ligand-exchange processes involved in Cu-centered catalysis.

Temperature Dependence of Structural Dynamics at the Catalytic Cofactor of [FeFe]-hydrogenase.

[FeFe]-hydrogenases are nature's blueprint for efficient hydrogen turnover. Understanding their enzymatic mechanism may improve technological H2 fuel generation. The active-site cofactor (H-cluster) consists of a [4Fe-4S] cluster ([4Fe]H), cysteine-linked to a diiron site ([2Fe]H) carrying an azadithiolate (adt) group, terminal cyanide and carbon monoxide ligands, and a bridging carbon monoxide (μCO) in the oxidized protein (Hox). Recently, the debate on the structure of reduced H-cluster states was intensified by the assignment of new species under cryogenic conditions. We investigated temperature effects (4-280 K) in infrared (IR) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) data of [FeFe]-hydrogenases using fit analyses and quantum-chemical calculations. IR data from our laboratory and literature sources were evaluated. At ambient temperatures, reduced H-cluster states with a bridging hydride (μH-, in Hred and Hsred) or with an additional proton at [4Fe]H (Hred') or at the distal iron of [2Fe]H (Hhyd) prevail. At cryogenic temperatures, these species are largely replaced by states that hold a μCO, lack [4Fe]H protonation, and bind an additional proton at the adt nitrogen (HredH+ and HsredH+). XAS revealed the atomic coordinate dispersion (i.e., the Debye-Waller parameter, 2σ2) of the iron-ligand bonds and Fe-Fe distances in the oxidized and reduced H-cluster. 2σ2 showed a temperature dependence typical for the so-called protein-glass transition, with small changes below ∼200 K and a pronounced increase above this "breakpoint". This behavior is attributed to the freezing-out of larger-scale anharmonic motions of amino acid side chains and water species. We propose that protonation at [4Fe]H as well as ligand rearrangement and μH- binding at [2Fe]H are impaired because of restricted molecular mobility at cryogenic temperatures so that protonation can be biased toward adt. We conclude that a H-cluster with a μCO, selective [4Fe]H or [2Fe]H protonation, and catalytic proton transfer via adt facilitates efficient H2 conversion in [FeFe]-hydrogenase.

Nickel(II) carbonyl, ammonia, and aceto-nitrile complexes supported by a pyridine dipyrrolide pincer ligand.

The synthesis, isolation and crystal structures of nickel(II) carbonyl, aceto-nitrile and ammonia complexes supported by a dianionic, pyridine dipyrrolide pincer ligand [pyrr2py]2-, namely, carbonyl[2,2'-(pyridine-2,6-di-yl)bis-(3,5-di-p-tolyl-pyrrolido-κN)]-nickel(II), [Ni(C41H33N3)(CO)], ammine[2,2'-(pyridine-2,6-di-yl)bis-(3,5-di-p-tolyl-pyrrolido-κN)]nickel(II), [Ni(C41H33N3)(NH3)], and (aceto-nitrile-κN)[2,2'-(pyridine-2,6-di-yl)bis-(3,5-di-p-tolyl-pyrrolido-κN)]nickel(II), [Ni(C41H33N3)(CH3CN)], as well as the free ligand 2,6-bis-(3,5-di-p-tolyl-pyrrol-2-yl)pyridine, C41H35N3 or [pyrr2py]H2 are reported. The nickel complexes are four-coordinate and adopt a square-planar geometry. The CO stretch of the nickel-bound carbon monoxide ligand of [pyrr2py]Ni(CO) has been observed at 2101 cm-1. The ammonia and aceto-nitrile complexes, [pyrr2py]Ni(NH3) and [pyrr2py]Ni(NCMe) feature all-nitro-gen coordination spheres around nickel consisting of different N-donor ligand types.

Formyltetrahydrofolate Decarbonylase Synthesizes the Active Site CO Ligand of O2-Tolerant [NiFe] Hydrogenase.

[NiFe] hydrogenases catalyze the reversible oxidation of molecular hydrogen into two protons and two electrons. A key organometallic chemistry feature of the NiFe active site is that the iron atom is co-coordinated by two cyanides (CN-) and one carbon monoxide (CO) ligand. Biosynthesis of the NiFe(CN)2(CO) cofactor requires the activity of at least six maturation proteins, designated HypA-F. An additional maturase, HypX, is required for CO ligand synthesis under aerobic conditions, and preliminary in vivo data indicated that HypX releases CO using N10-formyltetrahydrofolate (N10-formyl-THF) as the substrate. HypX has a bipartite structure composed of an N-terminal module similar to N10-formyl-THF transferases and a C-terminal module homologous to enoyl-CoA hydratases/isomerases. This composition suggested that CO production takes place in two consecutive reactions. Here, we present in vitro evidence that purified HypX first transfers the formyl group of N10-formyl-THF to produce formyl-coenzyme A (formyl-CoA) as a central reaction intermediate. In a second step, formyl-CoA is decarbonylated, resulting in free CoA and carbon monoxide. Purified HypX proved to be metal-free, which makes it a unique catalyst among the group of CO-releasing enzymes.

Quantum Chemical Modeling of Pressure-Induced Spin Crossover in Octahedral Metal-Ligand Complexes.

Spin state switching on external stimuli is a phenomenon with wide applicability, ranging from molecular electronics to gas activation in nanoporous frameworks. Here, we model the spin crossover as a function of the hydrostatic pressure in octahedrally coordinated transition metal centers by applying a field of effective nuclear forces that compress the molecule towards its centroid. For spin crossover in first‐row transition metals coordinated by hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide, we find the pressure required for spin transition to be a function of the ligand position in the spectrochemical sequence. While pressures on the order of 1 GPa are required to flip spins in homogeneously ligated octahedral sites, we demonstrate a fivefold decrease in spin transition pressure for the archetypal strong field ligand carbon monoxide in octahedrally coordinated Fe2+ in [Fe(II)(NH3)5CO]2+.

CO-Photolysis-Induced H-Atom Transfer from MnIO-H Bonds.

The formation of TEMPOH from a mixture of [Mn(CO)3(μ3-OH)]4 (1) and (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) is shown to occur through a light-initiated CO photolysis from 1 (illumination at 300-375 nm). One hypothesis is that the loss of carbon monoxide (CO) causes significant O-H bond weakening to render proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) to TEMPO favorable. For instance, the ground-state O-H bond dissociation free energy (BDFEO-H) of 1 (computed with density functional theory and estimated using effective BDFE reagents) is too high to transfer an H-atom to TEMPO. We also demonstrate that TEMPO and 1 interact in the dark through a hydrogen-bonded "precomplex" (1···TEMPO). We suggest that the PCET reaction that forms TEMPOH is the result of a H-atom-transfer reaction that occurs immediately after photolysis of a CO ligand(s).

A Kinetic Study of Ligand Binding and Conformational Changes in Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase

The mammalian inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) catalyzes the production of nitric oxide (NO) in a two-step monooxygenation of L-arginine (L-Arg) to NO and L-citrulline via the intermediate Nω-hydroxy-L-arginine (NOHA). The reaction starts with the formation of a ternary complex consisting of the enzyme, an O2 ligand bound to the heme iron and the L-Arg substrate residing close to the heme-bound ligand. We have blocked the enzymatic turnover by replacing O2 by carbon monoxide (CO), because it resembles O2 in size and heme binding properties, and then studied CO binding to the iNOS oxygenase domain, iNOSoxy, by using flash photolysis. The P420 and P450 forms of the enzyme, assigned to a protonated and unprotonated proximal cysteine, through which the heme is anchored to the protein, show markedly different CO rebinding properties. Only very few CO ligands can escape from P420. They rebind very slowly, suggesting that P420 has a widely open distal pocket that admits water. CO rebinding to the P450 form strongly depends on the presence of the substrate L-Arg, the intermediate Nω-hydroxy-L-arginine and also the cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin. After adding these small molecules to the enzyme solution, the CO kinetics change slowly over hours. This process can be described as a relaxation from a fast rebinding, metastable P450 species to a slowly rebinding, thermodynamically stable P450 species, which we associate with the enzymatically active form. Our results allow us to determine kinetic parameters of L-Arg binding to ferrous deoxy iNOS protein, the L-Arg dissociation rate coefficient,= 15.4 ± 0.4 s−1, the bimolecular L-Arg association rate coefficient, = 1153 ± 71 mM−1s−1, and by taking the ratio of the two values, the equilibrium dissociation coefficient of L-Arg and ferrous iNOSoxy, KD = 13.4 ± 0.9 μM.

(Spectro)electrochemical and Electrocatalytic Investigation of 1,1'-Dithiolatoferrocene-Hexacarbonyldiiron.

Hexacarbonyldiiron bridged by a 1,1'-dithiolatoferrocene, [Fe(C5H4S)2{Fe(CO)3}2] (1), was synthesized, and the electrochemistry showed reversible oxidation at the Fe(C5H4S)2 site and quasi-reversible reduction at the hexacarbonyldiiron site. Spectroelectrochemical techniques showed reduction-induced ligand isomerization, where the thiolate ligand went from bridging to terminal and one carbon monoxide ligand moved to a quasi-bridging position; this mechanism was further supported by cyclic voltammetry simulation and density functional theory calculations. Complex 1 showed electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen-evolving reaction.

Ruthenium-catalyzed ortho-selective CAr-H amination of heteroaryl arenes with di-tert-butyldiaziridinone.

Application of an oxidative amination reagent (di-tert-butyldiaziridinone) to the Ru3(CO)12-catalyzed ortho-selective CAr-H amination reaction is described. This strategy shows good functional group compatibility with various phenyl-substituted N-heterocycles, including biologically active substrates, thus providing synthetic potential for this methodology. Mechanistic studies showed that the reaction process involves an octahedral ruthenium species, and the carbon monoxide ligand plays a crucial role in the C-H activation.

Vibrational fingerprint of localized excitons in a two-dimensional metal-organic crystal

Long-lived excitons formed upon visible light absorption play an essential role in photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and even in high-density information storage. Here, we describe a self-assembled two-dimensional metal-organic crystal, composed of graphene-supported macrocycles, each hosting a single FeN4 center, where a single carbon monoxide molecule can adsorb. In this heme-like biomimetic model system, excitons are generated by visible laser light upon a spin transition associated with the layer 2D crystallinity, and are simultaneously detected via the carbon monoxide ligand stretching mode at room temperature and near-ambient pressure. The proposed mechanism is supported by the results of infrared and time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopies, and by ab initio theoretical methods, opening a path towards the handling of exciton dynamics on 2D biomimetic crystals.

Kinetic studies of thermal dissociation of carbon monoxide ligands from manganese tri- and tetra-carbonyl derivatives containing the bulky dipiperidylmethane ligand, CH2Pip2

The group 7 tricarbonyl complexes, fac-[MBr(CO)3(CH2Pip2)] (CH2Pip2 = dipiperidylmethane, M = Mn (1), and M = Re (2)), have been synthesized from the reaction of [MBr(CO)5] and the bulky CH2Pip2 ligand. Complex 1 was found to react with AgBF4 in the presence of carbon monoxide to provide a stable cationic manganese tetracarbonyl complex [Mn(CO)4(CH2Pip2)][BF4] (3). Complex 3 was shown to dissociate CO in acetonitrile to provide the solvate, [Mn(CH3CN)(CO)3(CH2Pip2)][BF4], with a rate constant of 10.6 × 10−4 s−1 at 25 °C. A similar H2O solvated complex was provided upon CO dissociation from complex 3 in water/dichloromethane. Loss of an additional CO ligand occurs on a slower timescale as revealed by further CO exchange with 13CO. This enhanced loss of CO in the [Mn(CO)4(CH2Pip2)]+ cation compared to other analog derivatives such as [Mn(CO)4(phen)]+ is ascribed to the sterically encumbering CH2Pip2 ligand which weakens the MnCO bond towards dissociation.